Yamato in Love
by usagkawaii
Summary: Unsociable Yamato takes it upon himself to ask out shrewd Shizune, but does she feel the same?


This feeling was more strange and more overwhelming than anything Yamato had ever felt. Clenching the papers in his nervous hand, he closed his eyes. "Just hand her the papers and ask, that's it," he thought, "if she says no, okay. But if she says yes- Oh God, what if she says yes?!" With a deep breath, he began to make his way down the hallway of Konoha's hospital- a place he had become all too familiar with after being rescued from Kabuto's lair. Even so, being in such a decrepit state allowed him to get to know _her_. And what a beautiful experience it was for the unsociable shinobi.

Patiently, he approached as calmly as he could manage. He hoped he hadn't wrinkled the scroll too much in his anxious grip. Yamato turned the corner, and there she was. He contained himself to the best of his abilities.

"Uh, Shizune-san?"

The lovely brunette turned her gaze at the sound of a familiar voice, only to see an unusually antsy version of the man she knew to be Yamato. Smiling pleasantly, she replied, "Yes?"

"Um, Hokage-sama requested that I deliver these documents to you immediately." He held the scroll out to her, his gaze cast downward.

Oddly enough, she found him so cute, it was almost laughable. Still, she couldn't help but wonder about his behavior for the past week or so. Of course it was sweet, and somewhat flattering, but it made her wonder. Was he feeling all right?

"Thank you, Yamato-san," she took the scroll, accidentally brushing his fingers in the act.

His eyes widened at the sudden touch, she played it off with a nervous laugh. Scratching the back of her head, she gave an awkward wave as she began to make her leave.

"One more thing," she heard.

Yamato found it in himself to compose himself He had obviously freaked her out. Taking a breath that held no purpose other than to calm his nerves, he spoke.

"I'm not quite sure how to word this," he looked down at his feet, a hand held to his chin in contemplation, "Shizune-san."

Her confused eyes fell on him, "Yes...?"

"I'd like to take you out on a date," he finally explained.

Her lashes batted, almost puzzled at his intentions. Confused still happened to look lovely on her, he thought.

"A date?" she asked.

He nodded, his pleasant smile unwavering. "Yes, will you?"

Much to his comfort, a surprised smile made its way to the fetching medic nin's lips as she nodded in turn. "I will." Though just as quickly as she agreed, a worrisome look came over her as she fidgeted like a teenage girl, "Although I don't know when, I've been quite busy," her smile returned, "But if you can be patient, I'd love to, Yamato."

Shizune couldn't describe the guilt she felt over the next two weeks. Constantly having to say, "I'm sorry, maybe another time" whenever Yamato would kindly approach her for their promised date. Even so, the few sweet occurrences in between the pitiful cancellations. Flowers left on her desk with a card that said, "_To hold you off until 'another time.'" _A stuffed animal with it's arm in a sling, waiting at her doorstep. But the best times were when he would actually come in just to see her, if only for a moment; always exiting with a chaste kiss to her cheek. There are no words for the sort of surprise the kunoichi felt the first time he had done it, though much to her delight.

The long awaited day finally came, after what seemed like forever. Not to mention that both Shizune and Yamato had to do a little less than beg Tsunade into allowing them a night off. Although the near-begging was done separately, the cunning Hokage had her suspicions.

Yamato, not sure of how to go about dressing for a date, decided to stick to his typical shinobi attire. He waited patiently outside of Shizune's home, accompanied only by thoughts of what she might be doing at the present moment. Showering maybe, he mused; occupied by the thought. At the click of the door, Yamato scrambled to his feet, almost as if to take his perverted thoughts and shove them in the bushes. He smiled. Shizune was dressed a bit more formal than normal; her hair was tied back and her cheeks were lightly coated in blush.

"Oh," she said looking at him and then at herself, her eyes sunk into an unsettled look, "I should change."

"Please don't," he said, "you look," he smiled, "lovely. Besides, I'm sure you know how to dress for this sort of thing, and I," he gestured to himself, "obviously don't."

Properly, he held his hand out to her. The anxious look fell from her face as she gladly took his hand.

Their dinner consisted of conversations varying from Shizune's friends picking on a younger Yamato in their youth, to appreciation of the restaurant they were at, to the stresses of being a shinobi. Yamato was incredibly sweet, Shizune soon found. Not to mention handsome. It came as a surprise that she hadn't gawked at him the entire time. How had she not noticed before? That sharp chin, fitted snuggly by the neck of his shirt. Those sweet almond-shaped eyes and the way they gazed t her with such- fondness? care? Surely, not love...?

Nevertheless, the meal was lovely. The pair soon found themselves trailing Konoha's streets. Their hands occasionally brushed against one another, resulting in a nervous Yamato and a blushing Shizune. The tension was welcomed.

Resting on a bench, the two continued to talk. Shizune couldn't remember the last time she felt so at ease in a conversation with anyone other than Tsunade. The way he responded to her, both in words and actions, was nothing short of captivating.

"What did you mean earlier when you said you didn't know how to dress for things like this?" she inquired.

In as casual a manner as he could manage, he shrugged, "I've never really been on a date before."

Surprised, she positioned herself towards the strange man to her right as he gazed out into the sky, "Really?"

"Hmm," he nodded, "The life of a special operations shinobi, as I'm sure you're aware, often doesn't leave room for, well, a social life."

"Yeah," she responded, "I've noticed."

He smiled back sweetly, easing her nervous expression. Shizune began to find it difficult to keep her curious mind quiet as they sat there, inches apart.

"Yamato," she called quietly.

He turned his head, "Yes?"

"Why me?" she questioned, an earnest expression in her dark eyes.

Yamato simply smiled, turning his gaze once more to the starry sky. He asked himself that very same question over and over again. What about this woman made him feel different, made him understand what it was about women that was truly fascinating? Clearly, he could remember the first time he saw her standing beside Tsunade's desk. Attractive, yes, but nothing more. No, it was those weeks he spent helplessly weak in her care. She healed him; gave him his life back; saved him. In those few weeks, he grew to know the kindest, most remarkable woman he'd ever had the pleasure of meeting. He returned his gaze to her lovely face, inching closer and closer. Shizune placed a hand to his chest nervously, he chuckled a bit at her decency. Chastely, he placed a light kiss on her soft, unknowing lips.

He swept the hair from her eyes, "I like you because you're you."

Smiling, she entwined her fingers in his and indulged in the warmth of his kiss.


End file.
